


I'll Be Back Soon (Je Reviens Bientôt)

by Chechilia



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Music, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 08:00:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10635636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chechilia/pseuds/Chechilia
Summary: When war breaks out, Arthur is forced by his father to join the army. Leaving his husband behind, he goes at sea to fight for his country.The years may pass, but the letters don't lie. Back home, he knows, Merlin is probably playing piano, music filling the air, thinking of Arthur.Back home, he knows, Merlin is waiting.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a french song by Francis Cabrel, " Je reviens bientôt " (hence the title of the fic). I couldn't bring myself to give it a sad ending, though. Hope you'll enjoy it !

Three years, eight months and twenty two days.

It had been three years, eight months and twenty two days since Arthur had last seen his home, and there wasn't a day that passed without him thinking about all that he had left behind. It wasn't so much the life of a nobleman, that he missed, nor the respectable house he had purchased on the outskirts of Camelot. It certainly wasn't his father, powerful lord that he had never managed to love, despite having tried again and again. No, it was his sister that he had left behind, dragged by their father into an unwanted marriage. It was his friends, or at least the one that had the choice not to follow him. It was his husband, that he had been forced to leave behind, his eternal chatter, his fond insults, the deep blue of his eyes. The way he'd bend over his piano and play, eyes closed, a melody only for Arthur. And even then, the rest didn't truly matter.

He missed Merlin most of all.

The call for war had surprised them all. They had heard about the skirmishes between the army and the neighboring country, of course, but it had been a talk of mundane parties and banquets, a rumor shared between fretting villagers and uncaring noblewomen. Arthur had thought it preoccupying, worrying even, but his father had dismissed him as easily impressed. And yet it had been the very same father that had forced him to enroll in the navy when war had broken out, insisting that it was Arthur's duty to uphold the Pendragon name. It had been Uther that had forced him to leave Merlin behind, too.

"Your husband has no business defending this country " he had spat with venom " he doesn't even belong here ".

And while it was true that Merlin's mother was an immigrant, Merlin had never been a stranger. It had been the final straw and Arthur's temper had made the walls tremble. And yet he hadn't been able to deny his father, even as Uther had robbed Arthur of all the respect he might have held for him. That night, Merlin had done his best to reassure him as he himself had been shaking - with anger, despair, hope already, he hadn't known. Merlin had opened the piano with a rare reverence and played way into the night, tears falling silently on his cheeks, mirroring Arthur's. They had made promises, and Arthur had tucked them deep into his heart. He had left three days later, heart heavy, his wedding ring safely attached on a chain around Merlin's neck.

He had received the letter weeks later, a few words scribbled on a crumpled paper, Merlin's handwriting digging a hole of longing inside his chest, his signature enhanced by the drawing of music keys that Arthur would have recognized anywhere. His reply had been the first of many. They had thought the war to be an easy one, as their country had better weapons and a better trained army. So at the end of each letter Arthur had written the same words, over and over again, hope never leaving as the years passed.

 _I'll be back soon. In a few days, a few nights. I'll be back soon._ And, always, _I love you._

And yet the words had never been enough, for they needed to touch, to feel, for everything to be real, and they couldn't.

And now here Arthur Pendragon was, looking out at sea on the deck of the Albion, nearly four years later. The sun was playing on his fingertips as he reread again and again Merlin's last letter, words of love and longing and full of promises. Merlin was waiting, he knew. And hope was bursting bright in his chest, for barely an hour earlier a sailor had come up beside him, back ramrod straight, to inform his commander of a message they had just received. Arthur breathed deeply. Finally, it was time. They had received the order.

The war had ended, and they were to return home.

***

The sky had darkened with clouds as Arthur made his way on the path leading to his home. He hadn't told anyone that he was back, not his father nor his sister. He hadn't told Merlin either, for he knew that he would reach him sooner than a letter ever would. The rain starting to fall brought him back to reality, and he looked up to see the house he had left so long ago. A dim light was lighting the windows, like that of candles. He stood in front of the door, suddenly terrified that too much had changed while he had been away. As to give him reason, a shadow closed the curtains, making him shiver.

" Merlin " he called out quietly, as if he needed to feel the syllables on his tongue again.

Nothing moved. And suddenly he heard it. The melody felt so familiar and yet so foreign in his ears, for it had been years and the echo playing in his mind had never been able to match Merlin's skills. It was the same melody Merlin used to play to him before the war, before he left, a music that he reserved only for him. And when Arthur had asked him why, he had said that it was his way of saying _I love you_.

And yet it wasn't quite the same song, because Arthur could hear it in the pattern : there were four hands playing. And that could only mean one thing ; one thing that made Arthur's heart beat painfully faster in his chest. Merlin wasn't alone. There was someone with him ; and for that someone to be at their home, late in the evening, playing with Merlin a music filled with such love...

Cold settled in Arthur's stomach. He felt numb. Merlin had replaced him. His husband had found someone else. Despite the long letters and eternal promises, Merlin had been tired of waiting. What else could it be ?

Arthur brought his fist to his mouth. The sob escaped him nonetheless, pain wracking his chest. The music stopped abruptly, and he heard hurried footsteps coming to the door. He didn't have the time nor the energy to move, and could only watch, helpless, as Merlin opened the door... And promptly froze, mouth open in a quiet gasp, hand on his chest as if it hurt, eyes wide.

Caught off guard, Arthur greedily drank the sight of him. His hair was longer than when he had left, black locks curling softly around his protruding ears. His pink, full lips were forming words without sound, and his bright blue eyes were brimming with unshed tears. He had lost weight, Arthur noticed, his already lean frame thinning further. His gaze fell on his hands, hanging limply at his sides, long, graceful fingers trembling slightly, wrists like a bird's.

A young woman appeared beside him, a heavy frown on her brow.

'' Merlin '' she said quietly '' what... ''

She froze when she saw Arthur, and she placed a hand on her mouth to stifle a gasp. If the situation were different, Arthur would have recognized Elena, Gwaine's wife and a good friend of Merlin. As it was, Arthur only had eyes for his husband.

'' Arthur '' the latter murmured suddenly, voice hoarse and filled with such deep longing that Arthur unconsciously took a step forward, willing to soothe him. '' It's really you, isn't it ? I'm not dreaming? ''

His body was shaking under the onslaught of emotion. Arthur felt his heart swell, words raging like a storm inside him. Unable to form further thought, he simply nodded.

'' It's me '' he said simply, eyes bright. '' It's me, love '' he added, and joy filled him, driving all the other feelings away. '' I'm home ''.

Merlin's thin frame swayed at the words. It was like he couldn't quite believe that it was really happening, that it wasn't a dream created by longing and despair. His husband seemed to hesitate between running to Arthur and slump on the floor, so Arthur opened his arms, waiting, and soon he had his husband hugged tight against his chest, so real and breathing and alive that he thought he would cry. And maybe he was crying, face buried in Merlin's neck, he wouldn't know. He didn't care. Nothing mattered but Merlin.

'' I love you '' he said, because he felt that it was the only thing that made sense.

Merlin shook in his arms, sobbing, and nodded frantically.

'' Me too '' he said. '' Gods, Arthur, me too. ''

They stayed like this a long time, lost in an impossible embrace, cheeks damp with tears, murmuring in each other's ears words of love and the renewal of their promises.

***

It would only be later that Arthur would remember himself and tell Elena that her husband was on his way. He would hug her tight as she would cry on his shoulder, relief plain in her voice. She would leave then and Arthur would find himself alone with Merlin, for the first time again in years, and they would settle before the piano, Merlin bent lovingly above the keys.

Later, Arthur would learn of Merlin's life while he had been away, and all the things he hadn't told him, not to worry him. Merlin would tell him of his mother's sickness and his grief after she died, and Arthur would cry with him. He would tell him of the way Uther had refused to help him when money had become scarce, and Arthur would seethe in anger until he'd learn that his father had been stripped of his title and his fortune at some time during the war. He would learn that Elena had become his apprentice, and was wonderfully skilled at piano - hence the playing at four hands as they waited longingly for their love to be back home. He would also learn that his sister had refused to marry and left to live in a foreign country - leaving behind only an address for a few of her friends (including Merlin and her own brother) to reach out to her and it would make him smile.

But it was only later, because now Arthur would simply lay his head on Merlin's shoulder, breathing him in, his scent soothing. He would smile indulgently when Merlin would take off his necklace and put his wedding ring back on Arthur's finger.  
And he would listen to Merlin playing way into the night, a melody meant only for him, notes dancing in the air as it was Merlin's way of showing love, for they were reunited at last.


End file.
